Dieter Achtzehn, founder and director of Holy Spirit Fire Ministries
Dieter was baptised and confirmed in the German Lutheran church, Johannesburg, South Africa. He surrendered his life to Jesus and was born again in 1977, and was baptised with the Holy Spirit in 1978. In 1982, while completing his Matric (South African grade 12 school certificate), Dieter received his call into the full time preaching ministry, with special reference to the German speaking countries of Europe. This calling remained dormant until 2017.
In 1987, Dieter graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rhodes University, South Africa, with majors in Anthropology and Economic History. During his undergrad years at Rhodes, he completed various courses in the Divinity Department, as well as various Bible School courses. In 1990, Dieter graduated with LLB (post graduate degree in law) from Rhodes University.
During his time at Rhodes University, Dieter was an active member of a charismatic student ministry, where he organised and led evangelistic outreaches campaigns, and started and led various bible home cells in the townships around Grahamstown in the 1980s.
In 1990, Dieter married Elizabeth, the joy of his life. They have two wonderful children – a son and daughter.
After successfully completing the National Bar examination in 1991, Dieter was admitted to practice as an Advocate/Barrister (Lawyer in private practise) in the Republic of South Africa. In 1992, he founded the Christian Lawyers Association of South Africa, was president of the Association for the first 3 years, and continued on as a board member until he left South Africa for Rwanda in 2007.
From 1990 to 1995, the Achtzehns lived in Durban, South Africa, where Dieter was an active member of the leadership of a charismatic church in Durban. From 1995-2007, they lived in Westville-Durban, South Africa, and were active members of the Westville Baptist Church. During this time, Dieter was involved in active cooperation with various Christian non-profits and churches in building the new South Africa. As counsel, he defended the Christian rights etc. of various Christian non-profits such as the Marriage Alliance, the SA Bishops Conference and different churches in the High Courts and Constitutional Court of South Africa. Some of these cases are reported in the SA Law Reports. The Achtzehns also led and hosted bible cell groups, men’s groups, etc. in their family home.
In July 2003, Dieter was appointed Commissioner on Ethics and Members Interests for KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa’s biggest provincial (State) parliament). This was by unanimous vote, in the parliament, for the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. This position, in essence, entailed that Dieter was responsible for the ethical and financial behaviour of all 80 KwaZulu-Natal Parliamentarians.
From March 2007 to December 2010, Dieter held the post of Director of the International Justice Mission, Rwanda office. IJM (www.ijm.org) is an International Human Rights Agency, with offices around the world, but whose headquarters are in Washington DC. The mission of IJM is to inter alia bring rescue, protection and care for victims of violent injustice and to make public justice systems work for the poor. Dieter set up the Rwanda office (there was no IJM office in Rwanda prior to his arrival). Beside establishing and leading the office, tangible and permanent victim relief was the priority, by the restoration to widows and orphans of, for example, stolen land, to about 150 actual victims of injustice (through mediation, litigation and other legal means), brought perpetrators on matters involving inter alia the sexual abuse of children to account, and supervised cases and programs ensuring that the public justice system effectively and sustainably protects the poor from targeted abuses. This work was one of structural transformation, by ensuring that the public justice system effectively and sustainably protects the poor from targeted abuses, etc.
In December 2010, Dieter moved his family to Gladenbach, near Marburg, Germany. From January 2011 to June 2017, he worked in various places and roles for the Deutscher Gemeinschafts-Diakonieverband e. V. From January 2011 to December 2012, he was Director of the Rwanda development Projects of the Deutscher Gemeinschafts-Diakonieverband e. V. This was a pioneering position. Dieter's duties focused on two development projects for the Foundation of the DGD. (Förder-Stiftung des Deutschen Gemeinschafts-Diakonieverbandes e. V.):
- The development and establishment of a Medical training programme for doctors and other medical personnel in Rwanda.
- The pioneering, establishment and building of the Rubengera Technical School in Rwanda, in cooperation with the evangelical sisterhood in Rubengera, Rwanda.
From January 2013 to June 2017, Dieter was Director of the hospitality and other business of the Evangelical Sisterhood in Lachen, Germany. This involved, among other things:
- Management of the guest houses and event venues, which housed in excess of 21,000 overnight guests and in excess of 10,000 day visitors per year.
- Delivering of sermons and performance of other ministry duties in the sisterhood’s ministry.
- Leading and hosting a weekly bible study in the family home in Lachen Germany, since 2014. This bible study continues to date.
In July 2017, after much prayer, prophetic words, etc. in 2016 and 2017, God confirmed to Dieter and Elizabeth that it was the time of Dieter's calling into full time ministry in Germany. God prepared Dieter for the ministry of an itinerant revivalist preacher from then until April 2018. (Actually, his whole life has been a school, preparing him for this time!) Dieter has been writing books and ministerial papers during this time, and founded together with Elizabeth and legally established the non-profit company in Germany, Holy Spirit Fire Ministries gUG., in accordance with the laws of the EU and Germany. Dieter and Elizabeth jointly run the company. 28 May 2018 saw the public launch of the work of Holy Spirit Fire Ministries gUG, and Dieter's ministry. Dieter is called as an itinerant minister, to preach Jesus, his cross and that the comforter, the Holy Spirit has come. He does this in German and in English, primarily in the German speaking countries of Europe, but also worldwide.
Short statement as to the passions of Holy Spirit Fire Ministries founder and director, Dieter Achtzehn.
Much of what motivates, inspires me and to which I am called, is contained above
I am a family man, a husband and a father, who loves his wife and family!
I have hobbies and interests such as for example, the oceans and exploring national parks and wilderness areas, especially in Africa. I love good food and drink and the cultural abundance on offer in the beautiful part of Germany, where my wife and I are privileged to live.
My wife Elizabeth and I have a strong heart for justice. Besides the clear biblical mandate to seek justice, I have amongst others been inspired by the following Quote:
“First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”Martin Niemoeller.
I however have a passion and a love that surpasses all others! A passion that causes all else to fade into insignificance. That is the triune God, that I serve. God my holy father, Jesus Christ my saviour, lord and friend and the precious, wonderful and mighty Holy Spirit, who communes with me, enables me, leads me and anoints me with his power and ability, so that I can fulfil my calling!
I love people! I love their various cultures and languages! My prayer is that I may see people through the eyes of the one who loved them so much, that he sent his one and only son, as a lamb to the slaughter, to take on and become sin on the that awful cross. He did it, so that I could be become a child of God, a joint heir, a new creation, the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Therefore, my principal passion is to proclaim Jesus! Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and forever. That same Jesus, who delivered, healed, saved and turned around the lives of people in history, still does so today! Jesus confirmed his past and present calling, when he quotes Isaiah in,
Luke 4:18-19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.”ESVUK
I can wholeheartedly relate to the following quote:
Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, “I have but one passion: It is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.”
The presence, communion, power, leading and anointing of the person of the Holy Spirit is something I cannot do without! I am 100% dependant on Him, in all I do and especially in fulfilling God’s call on my life. I have been called and it is my passion to preach, teach and demonstrate, that the Comforter that Jesus promised us, has come! The precious person of the HolySpirit. The Spirit of Jesus! This is evidenced in the name of the INGO that He led me to found and its foundational scriptures:
Matthew 3:11 (NIVUK)
11 ‘I (John the Baptist) baptise you withwater for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He (Jesus)will baptise you withthe Holy Spirit and fire.
Zechariah 4:6 (NIVUK)
6 So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.
Europe and especially, the German speaking people of Europe are the center of my calling. In my travels through Germany and when communicating with the many people the Lord has placed in my life, I sense a spiritual awakening wanting to burst forth, but currently it is only seen in small fires starting all over Europe. Yes, as Jesus predicted, the great falling away and dilution of the gospel is clearly evident, but also a deep longing for MORE! A longing for biblical Christianity. This is especially evident among Europeans under the age of 35 and immigrants to Europe. Holy Spirit filled and Jesus centered churches are growing, some in leaps and bounds. The gifts and working of the Holy Spirit are becoming more focal in main line Evangelical and Catholic Churches, as well as non-denomination churches and house groups. People in Europe, are once again expecting God to perform miracles. Miracles are being experienced by people in their personal lives in an ever-greater frequency. God is at work! The greatest revival in the history of the German speaking people is about to break forth. God wants to pour out his Holy Spirit on the 103 million mother tongue German speakers, as well as others, of course. The people resident in Europe will experience Jesus, before his return! Yes, the people of Europe will through the blood of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit encounter Jesus, the Christ! God will answer the prayer of his saints, that have been praying for this, for many years. To be a leading part of this great outpouring and the preparation therefore, is both my calling and passion!